Bill Ward Recalls Having to Fire Ozzy Osbourne From Black Sabbath

Former Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward has been in a recent verbal war with Ozzy Osbourne, but it's not the first time things got awkward between the two metal legends. According to the drummer, one of the unwanted jobs that he took on in Black Sabbath was having to tell Osbourne he was out of the band back in 1979.

Speaking with The Quietus, Ward stated, "I'm like the f---ing janitor in that band. Most of the time I always got the s--t jobs that nobody wanted to do. But at the time, I thought maybe I was the best guy to do it."

He recalls, "I kind of volunteered to do it. Up went my hand -- and it was one of the worst things I've ever done in my life, to be honest with you. I didn't want him to leave the band, but I could understand the reasons why. That was a tragic day. That was the day the band imploded."

As has been well chronicled, the entire band was abusing drugs and alcohol, but Osbourne's usage during the late '70s had gotten out of control and the group began having issues making any progress on new music. The band eventually got Ronnie James Dio to sing with them, but the lineup underwent numerous changes before the founding members reunited in 1997.

These days it's Ward who is on the outside looking in on the Black Sabbath lineup after stepping away from the reunion due to being presented what he called "an unsignable contract." With Osbourne being extremely critical of Ward in the press, the drummer has stated that he won't return without an apology. "Oz was like a brother," says Ward. "He still is today, but I don't talk to him right now. It's not like I don't love him or anything."

With Sabbath on the backburner for him, Ward has focused on his own music, recently releasing an album titled Accountable Beasts with the Bill Ward Band. He also confirmed in a recent interview that he's got a new rock trio separate from the BWB that was just starting work on a new album last month.